This application is based on Patent Application No. 10-242249 filed in Japan, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
This invention relates generally to a picture print playing apparatus having a function for superimposing a user""s subject picture on an elected frame picture so as to produce a self-portrait, and providing a sticker sheet onto which the self-portrait is printed to the user.
Conventionally, there has been known a picture print playing apparatus, which superimposes a user""s desired subject picture taken by a camera on previously prepared frame picture data as a background picture so as to produce a self-portrait and display it on a CRT (cathode ray tube), and prints the self-portrait onto a sticker sheet using a video printer (e.g., publication of Japanese laid-open utility model application No. 6-15382).
In the above-mentioned picture print playing apparatus, variously designed frames are previously prepared for using them as a background picture of the self-portrait. It has been known that the frequency of usage of the picture print playing apparatus greatly depends on types, designs and the like of frame pictures which are stored in the apparatus. Accordingly, if the apparatus always displays the same picture frames which were previously set for the long time, users will become tired of them. To solve this problem, a picture print playing apparatus has been provided wherein a management person can arbitrarily renew the frame picture data (e.g., official gazette of Japanese utility model No. 3044500).
However, if a plurality of the above-described picture print playing apparatuses are placed at many regions, maintenance personnel has to bring a disk or the like containing frame picture data and replace the frame picture data in order to always display frame picture data having distinctive features according to seasons and regions. This reduces productivity, and causes a problem of increasing costs. Further, the above-described picture print playing apparatus may use frame pictures of a period-limited type in which a playing period is limited according to each of campaigns and the like, but in the above-mentioned conventional method for replacing the frame picture data, it is difficult to simultaneously carry out the replacement in all of the playing apparatuses. As a result, it has been impossible to unify the playing period for all of the apparatuses.
Moreover, it has been known that a picture print playing apparatus is connected to a host computer for downloading frame picture data from said host computer, thereby, timely replacing frame picture data. However, in this replacing method, it is also difficult to transmit frame picture data simultaneously to a plurality of playing apparatuses, so that it has been impossible to unify the playing period of the frame pictures for all of the apparatuses. Further, the apparatus requires a special program in order to download the renewal frame picture data so as to replace the frame pictures. While said program is operated, users cannot use the apparatus for printing a photograph on stickers. Consequently, if a picture print playing apparatus is placed in a busy street, and incessantly used by users one after another all the time from the start-up in the morning until the operation is stopped in the night, there occurs no time for replacing the frame picture data, which causes a delay in downloading the frame picture data between said apparatus and other apparatuses, and the playing period of the period-limited frame pictures considerably differs in each of apparatuses.
This invention is made to solve the above-mentioned problems. One object of the present invention is to provide a picture print playing apparatus wherein frame pictures of a period-limited type are simultaneously replaced in plural apparatuses with ease.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, according to one aspect of the present invention, in a picture print playing apparatus having a function for superimposing a user""s subject picture on an elected frame picture so as to produce a self-portrait, and providing a sticker onto which the self-portrait is printed to the user, when the present date and time agree with a display-start date and time of frame picture data stored in a memory, said frame picture replaces a frame picture which has already been displayed on a screen, and said new frame picture is automatically displayed so as to be used for playing. Therefore, if the same display-start time and date are set in all of the playing apparatuses, frame pictures can be simultaneously replaced at the same time in the playing apparatuses. This eliminates a necessity of simultaneously replacing the frame pictures on the display-start date and time by plural maintenance personnel, and a necessity of simultaneously transmitting frame picture data to a plurality of apparatuses which are connected to a host computer through a communication line. Thereby, the present invention makes it possible to unify the date and time of replacing the frame pictures for a plurality of playing apparatuses with using a simple constitution.